The Circle US Season 4: The Spiciest Season
Category: Reality TV, Competition
The Circle is back with new contestants and new drama!! A sex therapist assistant, a 4'6" fireball, a 63 year old Italian mom, and so many other big personalities clash in this game where they don't even meet. They show that strategy and sincerity are two sides of the same coin. Who makes it to the end and wins it all?
[SPOILERS THRU SEASON 4 AHEAD]
First off, I should disclose how I talk about the catfish in the game. I've already started referring to them this way in my other two reviews, but I never formally said anything about it. So here's how it'll look for the rest of the review(s):
[Catfish Name]/[Real Name]
**I'll also be referring to the pronouns of the real identity
Now that that's out of the way, we got a longer review than last time ahead. I think it's best to disclose my favorites to win from the first episode and go from there, chronologically. For me, Yu Ling was my favorite to win and then Frank. My favorite didn't stay the same and fluctuated between a number of people throughout the season, which I think is a good sign. Every single one of these contestants had respectable qualities to them. But that isn't to say that they don't get ugly... This season was talked about a lot and was definitely polarizing for a multitude of reasons like Season 2. However, the events that transpired were honestly what should've happened in Season 2.
I'll get to those events later on in the review. I don't know how else to start talking about this one but... Paul/Parker... She had no idea what she got herself into playing her dad, a fictional version of him that had no resemblance to her personality at that. I'm sure many of us felt secondhand embarrassment when she said she didn't know what a memoir was. She really struggled to convince everyone else that she wasn't a catfish from that point on, but she didn't even realize it before it was too late.
There's a good lesson in Parker's experience in the game, even if it was short. You don't really know what others think of you online. You can be so confident that you're on their good side, but in reality, they may have doubts about you. The challenge of coming in as a catfish is the fact that you have to impersonate someone else. A recurring theme that everyone talks about is how much catfish hunting goes on in the show, which added to Parker's struggle even more.
There are some success stories with the catfish this season though. And we can start off with Jared/Spice Girls. If you haven't seen this season, I warned you about spoilers. Baby Spice (Emma) and Scary Spice (Mel B) took to the Circle to spice up the game as Jared, the profile Frank chose to join the game after Paul/Parker left. Even after revealing they were in the game, they got some of the players fooled that Jared was real, and that was just enough for the prize money to increase to $150k!! It was a nice twist for the players because on top of the initial $100k, they got more money AND the realization that they had been talking to 2/4 of the SPICE GIRLS!!
Alyssa can relish in that moment the Spice Girls talked to her for who knows how long and I'm absolutely jealous. Given that they're extremely successful and don't need the money, Emma and Mel B left the Circle after their job was complete. Still, their presence caused a little rift of trust between some of the players, particularly about Rachel, who was a self-proclaimed Spice Girls fan. To be fair to her though, no fan is bound to know everything unless they're that creepily obsessed with them. Those questions too were very specific in the Spice Girls trivia game.
From this point, it starts to get a little shifty (though consistent with previous seasons). Crissa's elimination was a controversial one on twitter. A strong black female player was blocked early in the game and the justification is that she's a threat. It's hard to argue against it when similar instances happened in previous seasons. Depending on your view of what happened, Terilisha was a strong player in season 2 ranking 1st on day 1, but after being marked as a threat by Savannah, she was doomed to get blocked. Similarly, Khat ranked 2nd on her first rating and she was blocked the next time. In Season 3, Kai was consistently a strong contender only ever hitting the bottom once after the alliances were solidified. In the end, her popularity costed her. I will die on this hill, Kai deserved the win. Crissa was charismatic, but people she didn't immediately mesh with saw her as calculating just because she didn't immediately try to talk to them (when easily the effort goes both ways). Not once was Crissa strategizing in her game. People felt like her bond with Frank was gameplay, but they really were just chill. Alyssa specifically going after Crissa felt off too. Considering how much notes she has on everyone, she didn't try to get insight on Crissa? Added to that, you're suspicious of Crissa when your notes fill up your whole apartment?
Because of that, I didn't feel bad when she was blocked the next round. I was definitely surprised though. I was expecting to see Carol/John on the short end of the stick. Controversial opinion: I am actually glad that Carol/John was saved over Alyssa. On top of her targeting Crissa, her beef against Yu Ling (although justified) was too much. If you're going to be mad at Yu Ling for picking Rachel over you, you should be just as mad at Bru for picking Carol/John over you. I have strong opinions about Alyssa because I really liked her at first. I'm also sure I'm not the only one who felt this way. I follow Sammie (from Season 1) on Instagram and on her stories she noted she wanted either Frank or Alyssa to win. But then after a while she changed it to Frank or Yu Ling. One can only speculate what went through her mind, but I doubt it's any different from my thought process. Granted in the finale, Alyssa apologized to Yu Ling and noted that her anger at her was misguided, but what's done is done.
From here, things could've gotten really messy. In fact, it was starting to mirror the clash between Savannah and Terilisha. However, it's where I started to really respect Yu Ling and Bru. My first impression of Bru was like Nick in Season 3. The main difference between the two is the strategy that they played. In the end Bru chose people he felt like he bonded the most, whereas Nick was all game plan the whole way through. The conversation between Bru and Yu Ling after Alyssa's blocking was what should have happened between Savannah and Terilisha. If the two women talked it out from the start then they wouldn't have such a dramatic falling out. But I digress. This isn't about Season 2.
Of course, trust wouldn't be rebuilt that easily, but Yu Ling and Bru were at least able to let bygones be bygones. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Carol/John. Even with the last newbies, Imani/Trevor and Everson, Carol/John couldn't bring himself back to where he was with the other players. His only fault really was that he came in as a catfish. Aside from Bru, everyone saw being a catfish as being deceptive. At least Everson was able to see John when it was time for him to go.
Once Carol/John got blocked, it seemed like most of the bad blood was gone. Even when Nathan/Alex tried stirring the pot between Bru and Frank, he couldn't cause chaos. The shocking double blocking and the last one before the final ratings was really something else. I was so sure Nathan/Alex was going to be blocked before Bru. In fact, I thought Bru would be at least in the top 5. Then, initially, I was shocked that Everson wasn't eliminated. Though thinking about it, it makes sense. Nathan/Alex tried to sour relationships over something that happened a while ago. Meanwhile, Everson was just vibing.
Now, let's talk about Nathan/Alex. There's a lot of mixed feelings about his game plan. Honestly, I think it's the same as Nick in Season 3. He's very calculating and I think it's kind of hypocritical of people to say Nick is a great player because of his strategies while Nathan/Alex is a horrible person for doing the same thing. Personally, I think part of this distinction is based on conventional attraction. Nick is more conventionally attractive than Alex, so people praise him over Alex when it comes to strategy. I acknowledged Nick for being a great player despite my bias against him, and I'll say the same thing for Nathan/Alex.
Let's get into this season's top 5, starting with Everson. He was an interesting player to say the least. I was initially put off by him because of the profile picture he chose. If I saw a profile pic like that, my first instinct would be to run. Still, what's great about this group is that they don't let things like that define the person behind the picture (unless they're a catfish). Everson was still able to be likable enough to get to the top 5 but only got himself to 5th.
Next is Rachel. Her spot makes sense to me. She was about 3rd or 4th the whole time in my internal ranking. She's likable but not nearly as outgoing as Yu Ling or Frank as examples. It's even possible that she was content with being 4th, especially considering her top 3 are the top 3. This is where I say, the top 5 here reminds me of the top 5 in Season 1: it makes sense and I would be fine with any of them winning.
As we break into the top 3, there's a lot to say about Yu Ling. I was surprised to see how many people didn't like Yu Ling. It's one thing to not like her because of the anti-virus decision, but it's another to not like her just because she's who she is. People find her annoying because of her personality and how exaggerated her expressions are. That just means she's comfortable and confident with herself. If you can't be that loud and obnoxious with your friends, I pity you. On top of that there are other people who were on the show who were just as loud (Courtney in Season 2 as an example). I'm actually shocked Yu Ling didn't get 2nd place. Of course, being in my personal top 2 to win, I would be shocked. That doesn't mean I wasn't happy with Imani/Trevor being 2nd in the end.
Now, I'm happy Trevor got 2nd, but I'm also glad that he didn't win it all. Why? Deleesa won Season 2! It doesn't feel right to give the $150k to someone who benefited from a previous season! That isn't to say that if he won I would be upset though. If he won, he won it through his own right. Looking at his game, he did win over very key players, without anyone figuring out who he was!! In the end it was just something fun for Trevor and Deleesa to be able to say that they both competed in the Circle. Still, very glad it went to Frank in the end.
You can't say anything bad about Frank. He doesn't have a bad bone in his body!! He was instantly one of my favorites from day 1, and to see his picture turn around at the end, it was very satisfying. Even on twitter, you don't see any negative comment about Frank. I think out of the 4 seasons, his win was the best possible win. He held no grudges and stayed true to his genuine self. He based his game on his bonds rather than strategy the whole way. Everyone can agree that he was the right person to give the $150k to.
Was this season the best one to date? Hard to say. I wouldn't say it's without fault. I mean, they casted Bru, who is a big TikTok personality with millions of followers. If he had won, the Circle would be under a lot more scrutiny, even if he was well loved in the show. Questionable choices were also made along the way. Despite all that, it was a wholesome end with Frank being the winner.
